One Last Lie
by Mia-Zeklos
Summary: A prequel to Camille Belcourt's story long before 'Clockwork Angel' takes place, and her first meeting with Magnus in 'City of Fallen Angels' from her point of view. One-shot.


_In these promises broken, deep below  
Each word gets lost in the echo  
So one last lie I can see through  
This time I finally let you go_

"I wish I looked like you, Camille." Elisabeth smiled softly at her older sister as Camille took one more careful look at her reflection in the mirror. Everything seemed fine to her, but she trembled slightly at the thought of Elisabeth being anything like her. Yes, she was more beautiful than before now, but she hadn't liked the price for it.

"I wonder if he would like me." She murmured dreamily, her thoughts slowly going back to the event that occupied her mind the most in the last days – the ball that she was to attend tonight.

"If who would like you?"

Camille sighed and turned back, looking at the door, as her mother entered the room and locked her brown eyes with her daughter's green ones.

"Is there someone I have to know about, Camille?" her mother continued. "I never actually heard the name of your partner." She pointed out firmly. "Are you talking about him?"

"Yes." The girl said, avoiding her mother's pointed stare. "Magnus Bane. His name is Magnus Bane." The name sounded almost as a prayer when it came from Camille's lips, just like any other time she had said it. "I think you know him."

"Yes. I do. And I do not like him." Josette said, frowning. She approached Camille and pointed at her dress with an impatient expression on her face. "But you have to get ready. Breathe in."

Camille had to pretend that she needed to take a deep breath as her mother tightened the laces and her corset caged her body from everywhere. Then she slowly exhaled, hoping that her mother won't notice.

"What is wrong with Magnus, Mother?" Elisabeth asked with a small smile playing on her lips. "I must say that he is rather charming. I've seen him, but I have never talked to him, of course…"

"Of course you haven't." Josette snapped in response as she brushed Camille's hair absently. "With the way you look, you would never get to talk to anyone important, you useless girl…"

"Stop it, Mother." Camille interrupted her sharply and turned to her little sister who was on the edge of crying. "You are a very beautiful girl, Elisabeth."

Elisabeth's lower lip trembled slightly.

"B-but I have never been so slim and beautiful as you." She said quietly, so quietly that only Camille could hear her. "And so fair."

Camille squeezed her eyes tightly when she saw her mother in the mirror. Josette was smirking, as if she had done something she could feel proud of.

_Do whatever you want to me, but please do not ruin her life as you ruined mine. Please._

Because the only person Camille truly blamed for her turning into a vampire was her mother.

That night three years ago, it had been the same fight all over again – 'you never do enough for the way you appear outside, look at yourself, which real lady has a figure like yours'… Camille was used to all of that when it came to her mother, but it had been too much for her when Josette started the topic that night. It would have been nothing if Camille was not trying as hard as she was – she was trying to be more beautiful and more pleasant, and she was hoping that her mother would notice…

But when she started yelling at her on dinner for taking a slice of bread – especially since Camille had not eaten anything for the whole day – she was so upset that, when everyone else fell asleep, she jumped out of her window and into the night.

London was a dangerous place at night; way more dangerous than Paris. Camille had spent almost her whole childhood in France and it was a fair few years since she had went out after sunset. And – as much as she knew – any city was a dangerous place at night for a seventeen-year-old girl left alone outside.

But she could still remember that back then, it was extremely foggy. She had been out, roaming around the houses of the other rich families – their district was full of houses like her own, that resembled estates more than anything else – for barely more than five minutes, when she got lost.

That, of course, made her cry even more than she already was. Now she was not only upset from her mother insulting her, but she was also scared and lost. She had not realised how much noise one makes when they cry. But someone – _something _– else had.

Camille had waked up two days after that in an unfamiliar house. All she knew was that she had been attacked and she had been more frightened than ever when a boy had entered the room someone had left her in.

It had turned out that the boy is a warlock. He was nineteen-year-old, he had told her, and then had added with a rather cheerful smile that he 'will stay that age for the rest of the eternity, just like you will remain at your current age forever'.

The boy that introduced himself as Magnus Bane told her what had happened to her. She had been attached by a vampire and he – or she – had tried to turn Camille into one too. But, something had apparently gone wrong and said vampire had left her where she was, and Magnus had found her. He had told her that he had seen vampires before and knew what to do to finish the transformation. Camille did not ask for details and he did not give any to her, and she was content with that.

She remained with him for another week, in which Magnus had to make her believe in all of what he had told her. He had informed her that if she wanted to go back to her family, she would need to learn controlling herself. He had proposed to help her and find blood for her whenever she needed some. When Camille had asked him why he is helping her at all, Magnus had merely shrugged and said 'well, I like you. And I have no one else around.' Then he had helped her find her way back home and had made up a story about what had happened to their daughter when her parents blamed him for everything.

"Well, there is no way your sister will not be more beautiful than you, Elisabeth." Her mother said and the girl tried to get rid of her memories for now. "Of course she is beautiful… She never stays as much as you out on the sun and she barely ever eats. As for Magnus, I do not think it would do you any good to know him, anyway, but…"

"He saved my life." Camille said quietly. "That night, when I was attacked by those robbers three years ago. I could have died there and no one would notice. You have to be grateful, instead of blaming him for things he had not done."

"Do you know what people say about him, Camille?" Josette asked sharply, finally leaving Elisabeth alone. "They said that he is some sort of a magician. But no one – the priest or anybody else – can find any evidence that he had done something wrong. But, if you ask me, he deserves to be burnt at the stake as soon as possible." There was an unfamiliar hatred in her mother's voice and Camille knew why – Josette had always hated her family for making her marry Frederic Belcourt. She had always thought that the family is cursed and she had despised all sorts of witches or wizards through her whole life. Camille's hands started trembling as she wondered what her mother would do if she knew that there was a vampire living in her house for the last three years. Maybe she would say that she deserves to be burnt at the stake along with Magnus?

"You have no right to speak in such a way of him." She said heatedly. "I owe him my life."

Her mother did not reply and Camille was grateful for that – she wasn't sure that she would be able to take another argument with Josette. She smiled to her younger sister.

"I have to go now, Elisabeth. Take care of yourself. And…" Camille bit her lip, trying to think of some good advice to give to her. She was planning to leave the house tonight – this time, forever. Magnus had given her the idea a few weeks ago. Her possessions – for the most part – were already packed and sent to him. He had promised her that they would leave tonight, if she was ready to do that. And she knew that she was ready.

The only person in this house that she would miss was Elisabeth.

"You are a very beautiful and very smart girl." She said softly at last. "Remember that. Never let anyone tell you something else. Believe in yourself and everything is going to be all right."

Elisabeth nodded, seemingly confused. She was only fourteen-year-old, Camille reminded herself. Maybe she did not understand what she was telling her now, but her older sister knew that she would not be able to be around for very long to see if Elisabeth is being happy.

"Very well, then." Camille smiled and took her coat from her bed and left the room. "Goodbye, Elisabeth."

Her sister smiled to her for one last time.

"Goodbye, Camille."

The girl said goodbye to her parents too, and left the house. A slight smile curled her lips when she saw Magnus in the garden, dressed like if they were actually going to attend some kind of a ball. As soon as they were out of sight from the house, he took her in his embrace, his smile growing wider and wider.

"I've missed you, Magnus." Camille breathed happily and buried her face in his shoulder. "I've missed you so much."

"I'm here now." Magnus said and took her hand, leading her on the familiar way to his home. "Everything is ready. Are you coming with me? We will not be very far away; I was thinking about…"

"Everywhere is fine, Magnus." She assured him softly. "As soon as you promise you will never leave me all alone."

"I won't." he said without hesitating. Camille could see it in his golden eyes – he was being honest.

Many years passed before this promise was left behind too.

**o.O.o**

"_I've missed you, Magnus."_

It was like an echo from another life when she said it; like it was something that concerned anyone but her and the warlock in the Sanctuary that was staring at her with the same cat's eyes, only a bit more tired than she could remember.

She had met him after she had left her family; that had happened almost eight centuries ago. She had been with him in Paris after that, in Rome, then in London again… and then Magnus had disappeared from earthly face about two hundred years ago. Camille knew that he was in New York, of course, but she had never bothered to try and search for him.

"_You must have known I would come back to you…"_

The words were leaving her mouth, but even Camille herself knew that she was lying. She had come back to him now because she needed him.

It wasn't him betraying her now; it had never been – she was the one that had left him behind. Camille felt almost guilty when she saw the look in Magnus's eyes – he was trying to be cold, but she could see all the pain from so many years ago falling back on him.

She pushed the guilt away. It was not her fault, she convinced herself. She had just had enough time to learn to break people's hearts before they could have the chance to break hers.

* * *

**Author's notes: I know that this is probably really really bad, but I've never written such a fanfic before (anything different from Harry Potter, in fact) so… please let me know what you guys think about it. I would be really grateful.**

**The song used in the beginning is Linkin Park's _Lost in the Echo._**


End file.
